//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The Problem With Jewelry // by bahatumay //------------------------------// It was nearly too dark to see before Daring Do finally held up a hoof. “I think we’ll be safe here,” she said in a whisper. “No fire, though. Keep it quiet, same rules as before.” Rainbow Dash nodded and reached down to untie Applejack’s bindings. Applejack tried to help, but her hoof only twitched weakly before she started sliding off, unable to catch herself. Luckily, Daring was faster; she darted over and caught Applejack, and gently lowered her to the ground. “There you go,” she said. “Just try and relax. It should be completely out of your system by tomorrow.” “That sounds great,” Applejack groaned. She had discovered something important: she didn’t like not being able to walk. Her position on Rainbow Dash’s back wasn’t uncomfortable, and being so close for so long was rather nice; but for some reason, she felt really sore anyway. As she was setting everything down, Rainbow noticed Applejack’s discomfort. She gently splayed Applejack out and then crouched next to her. “Here,” she said, leaning down to massage Applejack’s shoulders. Daring Do dropped back down from the trees. “We made better time than I thought we would,” she said, pleased. “We’ll probably make it to the temple tomorrow.” “That’s great,” Rainbow said distractedly. Daring Do glanced over. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. Rainbow noticed her staring. “What?” she asked defensively. Daring Do shrugged. “Well, you know, I don’t mean to intrude on your personal time, and I can make myself scarce for a while if you want me to; but I’ve had some experience with masseuses in my years, and they do things a bit differently. Do you mind?” Rainbow shook her head. Daring Do trotted over, sat down on Applejack’s back- “Hey, now!” Applejack protested. -and leaned down, pressing her forehooves down near her croup. “Now, hooves go in opposite motions. It starts deep, then slowly goes softens and goes superficial.” Applejack’s eyes rolled in her head and her breath hitched. Daring Do may not have had a lotus flower on her flank, but right now her hooves felt heavenly. So good, in fact, that she almost felt guilty. After all, she was technically taking pleasure from another pony that wasn’t Rainbow Dash. That was wrong, wasn’t it? Maybe? Rainbow didn't seem too bothered by it. Instead, Rainbow watched with rapt fascination. “Oh, hey. Let me try that.” She leaned down and tried, pressing down on Applejack’s shoulders. Applejack inhaled through gritted teeth. Now two sets of hooves were working magic on her. This felt really good. If this were wrong, she didn’t want to be right. A few minutes into the combined massage, Daring Do chuckled. “You found a good one, Rainbow Dash.” “A good what?” In response, Daring Do kneaded especially hard. Applejack couldn’t suppress a little ‘ngh!’, and her ears burned with embarrassment. What she’d give to have her bucking legs back… Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, I did. She’s the best. You have no idea. I’d do anything for her.” Daring Do nodded. For some reason, that seemed strange. “Rainbow?” Applejack started. Daring resumed her kneading. “It’s nothing, Applejack. Just let her be sappy for a while.” “I am not sappy!” Rainbow defended herself, pressing harder. “I am awesome.” “If by ‘awesome’ you mean ‘sappy’.” “Nah. Now, this would be sappy.” Rainbow flapped her wings once and flipped back off Applejack’s back. She landed on her stomach, face-to-face with Applejack. And then she reached up, took hold of Applejack’s head, and pulled her in close for a kiss. Applejack was taken aback. It wasn’t like Rainbow to be showing affection in front of somepony else. Especially not one of her heroes. But she certainly wasn’t complaining. Rainbow finally pulled back. “Now that’s sappy,” she panted. Daring Do tittered. “Should I leave you two alone for an hour, or…?” “Yes.” “No.” Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at each other. Applejack winced. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so hasty. “No.” “Yes.” Rainbow stood and coughed uncomfortably. “When’s dinner?” Daring Do chuckled. “I’m on it.” * * * The next morning, the paralyzing poison had finally worn off, and Applejack was finally able to rejoin the walking section of their group. She had expected to be sore after not moving at all yesterday; but last night’s massage, as strange an experience as it had been, seemed to have helped take most of the edge off. Completely. “Whoo-ee!” she said, practicing a few open-air kicks. “I’m feeling finer than a bright spring morning!” “Good,” Daring Do said brightly as she slid a plate with some foreign-looking fruits over, “because we’ve got a long way to go today. Eat fast.” The moment breakfast had been finished, Daring Do got them all moving again, and the three mares slowly pushed their way through the jungle. Applejack squinted. Well, Daring hadn’t led them wrong yet. This wouldn't be so bad. * * * It had been a long journey. Even their game of ‘flick each other’s cutie mark with their tails and see how long it takes Daring to notice’ got old after a while, and that was really saying something. But as for saying something, Rainbow Dash had been doing plenty of that. “Are we there yet?” Rainbow asked again for what must have been the fifteenth time. “Not. Yet,” Daring Do answered through gritted teeth. “Ok, because you said we’d be there in two hours about three hours ago.” “I said ‘about two hours’,” Daring said irritably. “Oh. Ok.” There were another few moments of silence; and then Rainbow asked again. “Are we there yet?” Daring inhaled sharply through her nose, as if to try and maintain her patience; and then slowly let it out through pursed lips. “Actually, yes. Yes, we are.” She pushed through one more layer of branches, and sure enough, there stood a little temple in a clearing. The temple itself looked fairly simple. It was a basic round structure, made of stone with a simple domed roof. But Rainbow seemed to be quivering with excitement. Applejack looked over and raised an eyebrow. “Now comes the best part,” Rainbow explained. “Looking for traps.” Daring chuckled. “It's only good if you find them before they find you. Stay back, step exactly where I step.” Daring stepped forward, walking carefully through the open archway. Her eyes easily picked out some of the easier traps to avoid, and some of the more concealed ones, as well. She stepped around pressure plates, stepped over tripwires, and ducked under an ancient version of razor wire until she made it to the end of the room. She turned around and gestured with her head. “Clear!” “Huh,” Applejack said as she gingerly avoided one of the plates. “They’re pretty protective of their stuff.” “Yeah,” Daring said, taking one last look at the sun through the open doorway. “Just wait until we get inside the temple proper.” * * * “Yeah,” Applejack said, glancing around at the dusty and long-abandoned spiderwebs clinging from the stone walls, “I wouldn’t live here if’n you paid me a hundred bits a night.” “Oh, come on,” Daring Do said, even as she searched for the right combination to unlock the next puzzle. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” “Probably up with the sun, which is where I’d rather be,” Applejack grumbled. She turned and glared at Daring Do. “How are you so comfortable down here? I thought pegasuses were all about the open sky.” “Yeah, pegasi usually are; but when you love something enough, it overrides all your base instincts.” Daring Do smirked as she finished rotating one of the panels and confidently pressed on another. Nothing happened. Daring turned and scowled at it. She pressed the panel again, but there was still no reaction. Her eyes narrowed as she pressed it many times in rapid succession; but to no avail. “Wrong order?” Applejack suggested. “No, this is the right combination,” Daring hissed. “I felt the clicks. Everything is related to the sun, because that’s what this culture worshiped. What's wrong?” Rainbow Dash neared, poking around and looking for anything amiss. Applejack had no idea what she was looking for; but she looked around and pretended like she did. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash found it first. “Oh.” “What do you mean, ‘oh’?” Daring asked suspiciously. “I think I found your problem.” Rainbow bit down and pulled out from the bottom of the wall a thick wire that had been completely rusted through. “Oh, no,” Daring hissed. Applejack glanced back and forth between the wire and Daring, not quite understanding. “I'm guessing that's important?” she tried. “Yeah,” Daring said flatly. “This wire is what's supposed to pull and lift the counterweight that lifts this stone wall.” Applejack squinted at the stone wall. Sure enough, it appeared to be solid stone, heavier than a pony could lift. “So we’re stuck here?” Rainbow asked. Daring Do tapped her chin and glanced towards the other end of the hallway. “Well, we can't go back. There could be a way through the priests' chambers, but that wouldn't be...” Applejack snorted and backed up to the wall. “Hold onto your feathers,” she warned. She took a steadying breath, and she bucked. Her rear hooves traveled through the wall... and got stuck. The force of her kick, amplified by the bracelets, had not knocked down the wall; but rather had penetrated it, punching two almost circular holes right into the stone. Daring Do politely hid her chuckles. Rainbow Dash had no such inhibitions and promptly fell on the floor, laughing uproariously. Applejack scowled as she tugged her legs free one at a time, bringing with them small chunks of rock. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” she grumbled. “Maybe a little too much strength,” Daring said. Muttering under her breath about those goldurned bracelets, Applejack tried again, this time taking a step forward to deliver the force to the wall itself rather than through it. Now weakened, the wall quickly collapsed after the second kick. Applejack adjusted her hat proudly. “How’s that?” she asked. “Can we just have her do that for every puzzle in here?” Rainbow asked hopefully. “We’ll see,” Daring said with a smile. “Oh, come on! She’d totally crush anything in our way!” * * * “I take that back,” Rainbow said, taking a shaky step back. “No crushing this one. Nope.” “Good thinking,” Daring Do deadpanned as she slowly slid a hoof forward to test the next tile. “A nice lava bath is definitely not what the doctor recommended.” “How did they even build something like this?” Applejack wondered as she watched Daring slowly choose her next step. “It'd be like sleeping next to a fire every night.” “It’s a fascinating combination of applied physics and little luck in the form of an inactive volca- watch your tail!” Applejack froze and glanced back, and she noticed that she had nearly dipped the tip in the lava. She winced and carried it slightly higher. “Yeah, I’m not going through another adventure smelling like burnt mane,” Daring grumbled. “Another?” Rainbow asked. Daring Do carefully checked the next tile. “Now that is a story for another time,” she said primly. Applejack couldn’t suppress a little snort.